Grampo/Scampo

by Flora B. Atkin

Folklore in five scenes. 3 men, 3 women. Interior setting. One hour. $ 6.50

When a grandparent comes into a family, not to visit, but to stay, what do folk tales and traditions have to say about the inevitable problems? A great deal, in this story-theatre dramatization of intergenerational relationships--Grampo/Scampo.

Grampo has quit the life of an itinerant fisherman to come and live with his children. He and the grandchildren act out his stories of far-away places and time. At first he is warmly welcomed, but as time goes by he becomes a nuisance, at last relegated to the kitchen to eat alone. Finally Scampo asks him, "Grandfather, you have a story to help everyone else. Don't you have one that will help you?"

Grampo/Scampo has played for audiences of the elderly with as much success as its in-school audiences. You will find it profoundly moving, dealing with family relationships honestly, without glossing them over. And you will also find its interwoven folk stories vivid and theatrical, spiced with humor, finely crafted to meet the demands of touring to schools, camps, and nursing homes.